From Rob Bates: People Don’t Trust Jewelers, and Their Websites Stink, Too

JCK’s Rob Bates shares some Cutting Remarks from the 2011 GIA Symposium. Bates reports on a Gallup poll that ranks jewelers with “lawyers and members of Congress,” after asking Americans, “What professions do you trust?” We read his blog with great interest, as our unique diamond and jewelry community plays a pivotal role in industry change. The symbiotic relationship between Pricescope consumers and retailers encourages the industry to evolve. While the Gallup poll shows a lack of trust among average consumers, our members have created a dialogue with trade members and have facilitated change. Our standards are high, and we aim for improved communications, inventories, and yep, websites too.

I’m not sure what this says about the industry’s psyche, but two of the most-talked-about facts presented at the GIA Symposium were ones that made the industry feel pretty bad about itself. To wit:

– Jewelers ranked near the bottom when Americans were asked “what professions do you trust,” according to a poll by Gallup, presented by Ken Royal, the company’s senior client service manager.

Only 20 percent of those surveyed said they trusted jewelers, right down there with lawyers and members of Congress. Even us much-maligned journalists, at 26 percent, ranked higher than jewelry retailers, who did out-score lobbyists and used car dealers. For the record, the top-scoring professions were firefighters, nurses, members of the U.S. military, doctors, and clergy.